


Five Drabbles

by Severina



Category: Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-23
Updated: 2011-07-23
Packaged: 2017-10-21 17:03:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/227544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Severina/pseuds/Severina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five drabbles</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Drabbles

Hospital -- Version One

Lucy brings him magazines from the gift shop, then perches on the chair by the bed and details her day -- meetings with Bowman, navigating the slavering press in the lobby, getting her mother settled into the hotel. John’s mostly happy just to close his eyes and listen to the sound of her voice, a low background hum.

When she gets up to leave he watches Matt’s eyes follow her; shifts to glare-mode as soon as the door shuts.

“My daughter,” he grits out, “is not dating some hacker punk.”

“Cool,” Matt says. “Because she’s not the McClane I’m interested in.”

* * *

Hospital – Version Two

Matt wheels himself into John’s room on the third day, dragging his IV pole. “So,” he says without preamble, “we should go out.”

John shifts on the bed, winces. “Sure. Race ya to the nurse’s station.”

“No. I meant, like… on a date.”

John snorts. “You’re high.”

“Yeah,” Matt grins. “Morphine? Awesome. But I think my little clicky thing is broken.”

“Measured dosage, kid. The nurses tend to frown on people ODing on the ward. More fucking paperwork.”

“Ohhhh,” Matt says. “Right. So… maybe a movie?”

“Jeeeeesus.”

“You realize that wasn’t a no, right?”

John plans on picking a comedy.

* * *

Aftermath – Matt  
By Severina

Matt runs lines of code until his eyes cross, keeps up a running dialogue in three separate IM windows. When his friends drop off the grid he shuts down his system and flops onto the sofa, digs out his controller and spends the next few hours defending himself from zombie hordes. By the time he completes the level his eyelids are drooping and he thinks he’ll finally be able to sleep without dreaming.

He wakes an hour later, sweat-soaked and swallowing a scream. He fumbles for the phone, dials with shaking fingers.

“McClane?”

“It’s okay, kid,” John says. “I’m here.”

* * *

Aftermath – John

The shrinks call it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, want him to sit down and talk about his feelings. But John’s been through it, knows that yakking to a suit doesn’t do shit, whether it’s the department bugcatcher in shiny polyester or some armani-clad marriage counsellor who charges one fifty an hour.

They can never understand because they weren’t there, in the thick of it. When he came home late one too many times. Or when some psycho threatened to shoot his baby girl. What do they know?

When the phone rings at four a.m., that’s when John’s ready to talk.

* * *

Figuring It Out

Lucy drives Matt home, leaving Holly behind to help with clean-up. She swipes at the dishes, listens to John talk about Matt’s work, Matt’s intelligence, Matt’s sense of humour.

Finally she turns to John with a smile. “Matt and Lucy would make a cute couple.”

“Jesus, Holly,” John explodes, “he’s not dating Lucy! He’s completely wrong for her!”

Holly leans against the counter.

“What?”

She lifts a sculpted brow.

“Oh… fuck.”

She hands him the phone, pats his cheek. “Just ask him out, John.”

John hesitates a few seconds for form’s sake before dialling the number he memorized months ago.


End file.
